War Brothers
Copyright (c) 2008-2009 by BoonDock
Chapter 02: The Offer
Roger just watched me. I guess he must have seen the incredulous look on my face, because he smiled and nodded his head.
"Yup. You heard me right"
"Details. I want details" I begged. "Oh, and proof" I added as an afterthought.
"Ok. Let me explain the basics. I can assume you are interested then" Roger grinned at me.
I gulped from my glass to wet my dry throat and just nodded.
"There is a universe out there that is larger and more complex than I think anyone here on Earth has ever envisioned outside of the science-fiction writers." Roger said without losing his smile. "We live in an old galaxy that has been well seeded with life. There is no 'Galactic Federation' or anything like that, but there are a huge number of planets out there with teeming populations. Some of them have been around for a very long time. A surprisingly large number hold humanoid populations, although sometimes you can't tell from the outside."
Roger paused to take a sip of his draught, and shifted in his chair. From long experience of dealing with people in similar situations, I knew that he was mentally preparing himself to change gear and come to a part of the story he thought was important.
"There has been a lot of very bad conflict out there with countless worlds left burnt out cinders. The solution is what they call 'War World'. What it boils down to is a neutral environment where planets or nations can settle their differences in limited scale battles."
"Sort of like the proxy wars during the Cold War?" I interjected. I had always battled to keep my mouth shut long enough to just hear what was being said. My mind always raced ahead trying to predict the course and destination of any conversation.
Roger smiled at me. "Exactly!"
I sensed his relief that I had made the intellectual leap, not only to guess where he was headed, but also to accept what he was saying as real and acceptable.
"There is a lot of detail that we can't really get into without a commitment from you, but the basics are that I want to recruit you to join me on War World and explain the benefits to you. Once you accept that, then we can move on." Roger looked at me, obviously waiting for a reaction.
"Benefits?" I asked on cue and watched Roger's contented smile. He seemed happy enough that I had taken his bait.
"Yup. Some pretty impressive ones I think. How old do you think I am Cy?"
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